Sermons preached on several occasionsSermons preach'd on several occasions

Now only Divine Grace compels Sinners to come to Christ, and to partake of saving Mercies: that is, changes the Bias of the Will, and makes it obedient to the Heavenly Call. God is the supreme Mover, and turns all Occurrences in the World to his Purpose and Praise: and the Hearts of Men are not exempt from his Dominion, but he turns them as the Rivers of Waters. The effectual Operation of Grace does not violate the native Freedom of the ⟨p. 294⟩Will, but is congruous to it. God's drawing is by teaching: Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, comes to me. When the Author of the Gospel is the Teacher of it, the most stupid and obstinate Sinners shall be convinced and obedient. To make this more clear, I will briefly consider the Intellectual Frame of Man, and the natural Subordination of the Faculties in their various Operations. As the Spring in a Watch, so the Understanding is the first Mover in the reasonable Creature: the Understanding has a double Faculty; the Apprehensive, to discover the Good and Evil in Objects presented to it; and the Judicative, to compare and ponder the Good and Evil discerned in things; and accordingly to esteem or disvalue, to approve or dislike. The Will chooses what the Understanding commends, and rejects what the Judgment condemns. The ⟨p. 295⟩Affections of Desire and Delight are from the Choice of the Will, the Affections of Aversation and Flight are from the Rejection of the Will. The Pursuit or Neglect of Things, the Application or Opposition we make in our Actions and Practice to them, is from the Delight or Distaste of Things in our Affections. But when Lust entered into the Soul, it perverted this Order. As the strong Tide of the Sea pouring into Rivers, turns them back to their Springs, in a Course contrary to their natural Motion: thus the Heart overflowing with a strong Tide of Corruption, empties it self into the Head the Spring of Actions: the unholy Affections work upon the Will to reject the Offers of Grace in the Gospel; and the corrupt Will works upon the Mind to vilify them. 'Tis to be observed, that the Tempter works upon Mens Minds in the unnatural ⟨p. 296⟩way; he makes use of the disordered Affections to pervert the Will, and of the perverted Will to divert the Understanding from due Consideration of Objects, and to corrupt its Judgment.